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The relation between ambiguity understanding and metalinguistic discussion of joking riddles in good and poor comprehenders: Potential for intervention and possible processes of change

Nicola Yuill

University of Sussex, nicolay{at}sussex.ac.uk

This study investigated understanding of language ambiguity as a source of individual differences in children's reading comprehension skill, and the role of peer metalinguistic discussion in fostering comprehension improvement. Twenty-four 7- to 9-year-old children worked in pairs to discuss and resolve ambiguities in joking riddles. Their reading comprehension increased significantly more than a group of 24 no-treatment controls. Analysis of the children's discussions shows that comprehension improvement was associated with increases over training sessions in frequency of metalinguistic comments about the text ambiguities, and in particular with the simultaneous explanation of two meanings. We discuss individual differences in metalinguistic and metacognitive capabilities and their role in the process of comprehension improvement.

Key Words: Ambiguous comprehension • intervention • linguistic humour • metacognition • metalanguage

First Language, Vol. 29, No. 1, 65-79 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0142723708097561
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